COST vs VRTV: Which Is the Better Buy?
Side-by-side comparison of Costco Wholesale Corporation and Veritiv Corporation — fair value, conviction, valuation metrics, and QuantHub research signals.
Updated 2026-07-08.
Costco Wholesale Corporation · Consumer Defensive
$947.50
-1.4% upside to fair value
Grade C
High Quality
VS
Veritiv Corporation · Industrials
$169.99
-43.3% upside to fair value
Grade D
QuantHub Verdict
COST has more upside to fair value
(-1.4%).
VRTV trades at a lower forward P/E
(7.1x).
These are model outputs — not personalized investment advice.
See all research →
Valuation & Fundamentals
| Metric |
COST |
VRTV |
| Current Price |
$947.50 |
$169.99 |
| Fair Value Estimate |
$933.84 |
$96.38 |
| Upside to Fair Value |
-1.4%
|
-43.3%
|
| Market Cap |
$420.2B |
$2.3B |
| Forward P/E |
47.6x
|
7.1x
|
| EV / EBITDA |
28.3x
|
5.4x
|
| Price / Sales |
1.4x
|
0.3x
|
| Price / FCF |
47.7x
|
10.0x
|
| Revenue Growth YoY |
+11.6%
|
-19.0%
|
| Gross Margin |
12.9%
|
22.7%
|
| Operating Margin |
3.8%
|
5.9%
|
| Return on Equity |
28.3%
|
48.6%
|
| Dividend Yield |
0% |
0% |
| FCF Yield |
2.1%
|
9.99%
|
| Analyst Consensus |
Buy
|
Hold
|
Investment Thesis
Costco Wholesale Corporation operates as a membership-only warehouse club offering a wide range of merchandise at low prices. The company exhibits high business quality with a durable competitive moat driven by cost advantages, strong brand loyalty, and efficient operations, reflected in a robust ROE of 28.3% and solid revenue growth of 11.6% in the most recent quarter. Despite these strengths, t…
Veritiv Corporation operates as a distributor primarily in packaging, facility solutions, and print markets, with a business quality characterized by scale and network density rather than proprietary products or pricing power. The company has undergone significant transformation under CEO Salvatore A. Abbate, including a take-private transaction by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice in 2023 and a strategic…
Accumulation Zones
| Metric |
COST |
VRTV |
| Zone Low |
$700.38 |
$72.28 |
| Zone High |
$793.76 |
$81.92 |
| In Buy Zone? |
No
|
No
|